07/12/2016
Tips For Towing Safely This Summer
Towing a heavily-laden caravan, boat or even a light trailer is not for the faint-hearted.
On average, seven people are killed and 45 seriously injured each year in New Zealand as a result of crashes involving a light vehicle towing a trailer, according to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
High among the leading causes of trailer related accidents are defective or poorly fitted towbars, over-loading and poor weight distribution.
The summer season will bring more vehicles on the road towing a trailer or caravan than at any other time of year, but drivers can greatly reduce the dangers with proper preparation and by following a few simple safety steps, according to New Zealand’s leading towbar manufacturer, Best Bars Ltd.
With more than a 30 years’ experience supplying towbars into New Zealand and Australia, Best Bars has led the fight to improve the safety of towing and carrying by investing millions of dollars into state-of-the-art engineering, testing and manufacturing technology for the benefit of vehicle owners.
And the key to towing safely on the road starts before even leaving the driveway.
In the days prior to heading off with the trailer, boat or caravan in tow, first check the towbar itself, to ensure all the bolts attaching it to the vehicle are present and tight, there is no corrosion present or damaged, bent or cracked brackets or welds. Also check that the towbar tongue, retaining pin and safety clip are in good order and properly secured.
If unsure, your local WOF station may hold the expertise and be willing to inspect your vehicle / towbar on your behalf. Whilst towbars could be damaged by missuse or neglect, Best Bars is warning motorists to beware of poor quality towbars as these can more easily suffer damage in normal low usage towing because they are poorly designed, manufactured or installed. These factors are compounded through low quality towbars often being made from low quality materials (steel, nuts and bolts, towball and pins). These items may not be fit for the rated loads or long term towing, and would certainly not meet the vehicles manufacturer’s towbar requirements.
If a new towbar is required, ensure it has been designed to NZ Standard 5467:1993 and carries a metal tamper-proof label to identify it. Cheap imported towbars or those available online may use inferior parts and/or be poorly designed. For the sake of a few dollars it pays to invest in a new genuine NZ-specific towbar and have it professionally fitted.
Also, make sure the towball is correctly matched to the trailer or caravan coupling – there are two main sizes of towball used in New Zealand (1 7/8-inch and 50mm). Best Bars has a quick-change convert-a-ball accessory that accommodates both sizes, which is very handy when renting a trailer or swapping between trailers.
A safety chain must also be used between the towing vehicle and lighter trailer/caravan, with double chains required if the trailer and its contents/boat or caravan weighs more than 2,000kg.
When packing the caravan or trailer/boat for the trip, make sure that the load on the towball tongue does not exceed the recommended tongue weight (stated on the label). Too much weight may not only cause stability problems when driving, it can also put undue load on the towbar and connection to the vehicle chassis.
Incorrect loading has been identified as a factor in 27 crashes a year on New Zealand roads, resulting in one death and five serious injuries alone, and it’s probably one of the most difficult things to get right. That terrifying experience of a vehicle and trailer ‘snaking’ or swaying on the open road is a symptom of failure to get the balance right, but there is a device that can help.
A load leveller that fits onto the drawbar of the trailer and connects to the towbar on the towing vehicle can help to redress the balance through redistributing the load, so the weight is transferred further forward.
Motorists pulling trailers with braking system are also advised to thoroughly check that the braking system installed is working correctly before setting of this summer.
A new vehicle franchise dealer will be able to help with selecting a suitable towbar and Best Bars can provide advice on all aspects of safe towing by phoning 0800 BEST BARS or emailing [email protected]. For more information on towbars and towing go to www.bestbars.co.nz.
